Vehicle



May 12, 192s. 1,537,579

` F. A. BOWER ET AL VEHICLE Filed March 15, 1925 Patented Maly 12, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FERDINAND A. BOWER AND ENOS A. DE WATERS, OF FLINT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNORSTO GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OFDELAWARE VEHICLE.

Application I-ed March 15, 1923. Serial No. 625,394

To all 'whom t 'may concern Be it known that we, FERDINAND A. BOWEII andENOS A. DE WATERS, citizens of the United States, and residents ofFlint, county of Genesee, and State of Michigan', have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Vehicles, of which the following is afull, clear, concise, and exact-description, such as will enable othersskilled In the art to which the invention relates to nas to minimizeaction on the brakes due to relative movement of the sprung and un-`sprmigparts of the vehicle. A'further' object is to provide strong/ andinexpensive means for so supporting the shaft. These Objects areattained by providing a bracket arranged to support the shaft, as byform- Ling 'a bearing therefor in each of two oppo 'sitely-extendingarms, immediately adja- 'peller shaft. to embrace the propeller-shafthousing', or to cent the front universal joint of the pro- The bracketmay be arranged be secured to the universal joint housing; in the,preferred form it has a Sleeve which so embraces the propeller-shafthousing and a flange to be secured-to a flange on the universal jointhousing, and thus has the additional function of a connection betweenthetwo housings. In one embodiment of the invention separateemergency-brake and service-brake shafts are both mounted in thebracket.

The above and other features and objects of the invention, includingvarious novel combinations and desirable particular constructions ofparts, will be apparent from the following description of theillustrative embodiment of the invention Shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a. top plan view of part of the runniig gear of anautomobile;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, showing the novelbracket in'rear elevation; and.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the front end of the propeller-shafthousing of Figure l, with the bracket associated therewith.

The running gear Shown 'in Figure 1 comprises a rear axle having adifferential housing 10 and axle housing 12, the axle being arranged todrive and to be supported by' wheels 14, and .the axle and wheelssupport-y ing cooperating partsof brakes 16, shown as comprising aninternal andanexternal brake on each wheel. The external brakes areoperated by rock-shafts'lS, vand the internal brakes by rock-shaftsV 20,the one Set being used as service brakes and the other set as emergencybrakes. Rock-shafts `18 are connected by links 22 with a brake-oper-Yating shaft 24, and rock-shafts 20 are similarly connected by links 26witha brakeoperating shaft 28.

In order to `minimize, and practically eliminate, the effect on thebrakes of relative movement of the sprung and unsprung parts of thevehicle, it is important that 'the chassis frame immediately above theuniversal joint, but this Yinvolves a vertical separation of the shaftsand said joint such as to permit substantial relative movementtherebetween. under certainY circumstances, in such a manner asundesirably to affect the brake pedal and the brakes, links 22 and 26beingvoperated by such relative movement on account of the verticalseparation of the axes about which they swing from the axis in universaljoint 30 about which propeller lshaft 32 swings.

Havingthese considerations in view, my invention contemplates fixing theposition of shafts 24 and 28 relatively to, and imme-l diately adjacent,this axis, so that brakeoperating relative movement is entirelyeliminated. In the illustrated form this is accomplished by the use of anovel brackethaving a sleeve 34 embracing the propeller? shaft housingor torque tube 36, and a flange 38 to be bolted or otherwise secured toa corresponding flange on a universaljoint housing 40.

r/ uw.

' port Qneend'of oneiof the shafts 24 and.

i 28. These shafts have do'wnwardlyeextend- Y ing armsf46 and48,'connected to links 5()v and 52, operated by the brake pedal and theemergency `bisake lever. Radius rods -64 may be provided ifdesired.Sh'aft 28.1is

-held against longitudinall movement by a clampA 54 and the arm 56 whichis connected toA link 26, and shaft 24 is held against such movement bya similar clamp 58 and a sleeve 60 seated against the arm 62 whichoperates link 22. To avoid interference, it will vbe noted that shaft24, on the side next flange 38, is longer than shaft 28.

rVVhile-one;embodiment of our invention has been illustrated anddescribed, it is not our'intention to limitl its scope thereby orotherwisethan by the terms ofthe appended claims.

We claim: I 1. A bracket having a flange to be secured .to the flange ofa universalhousing, a sleeve t9 embrace a propeller shaft housing, andoppositely-extending arms formed with bear-,

ings for'a transversebrake-operating` shaft.` 2. A bracket havingaflange to be securedf to embrace a propeller shafthousing, and two pairsof oppositely-extending arms each pair formed with bearings for atransverse brake-operatingshaft.

3. A bracket having a flange to' be secured to the flange of a universalhousing, a sleeve to embrace a propeller shaft housing, and two pairs ofoppositely extending arms, each p air formed with bearings for atransverse brake-operating shaft, in combination with two shafts, the4shaft 'on the side next the flange being longer than the second shaft.

4. A, bracket having a sleevev to embrace a propeller .shaft housing,and oppositel -extending arms formed with bearings ger a transversebrake-operating shaft.

5. A bracket having a sleeve to embrace a propeller shaft housing, andtwo pairs of oppositely-extending arms each formed With bearings for atransverse brake-operating shaft, in combinationwith two shafts, the oneshaft being longer than the other.

6. A bracket having a flange to be secured to the flange ef a universalhousing and a pair of oppositely-extending arms formed with bearings'fora transverse brake-operat-v ing shaft.

7 A bracket having a flange to be secured to the flange of a universalhousing'and two pairs of oppositely-extending arms each formed withbearings for atransverse brake operating shaft, in combination with twoshafts, the shaft next the flange being longer than the other shaft. y

8. A self-propelled vehicle having brakes,

ra propeller-shaft housing, brake-operating shafts, and a bracketmountedA on the'housing and supporting the shafts.

9. A self-propelled vehicle having brakes, a propeller-shaft housing, auniversal joint, housing, a brake-operating shaft, `and a bracketembracing the propeller-shaft housingl and secured to the universaljoint hous p "ing" and vsupporting the brake-operatingv tothe flange ofa universal housing, a sleeve ysh a l v 10. A propeller-shaft housing ortorque tube formed and arranged 'to support a brake-operating shaft vatits vforward end, in combination with a transversely-extending'brake-operating shaft supported thereby,-

In testimony whereof We .aflix our 'sig-l natures.

FERDINAND A. BOWER. ENOS A. DE WATERS.

